Once shunned for human consumption but now the star attraction in trendy urban oatmeal pubs, oats have run the gamut in the history of gastronomy.

Viewed by some as a stodgy, yawn-invoking grain, oats are now poised to venture beyond the porridge . . . and break free from breakfast.

Today’s dietary emphasis on whole grains is providing some fuel to the oat fire. At the same time, imaginative oat dishes are popping up, inspired by farmers, chefs and home cooks looking to capitalize on the familiar but often-overlooked taste of the beloved grain so rich in nutrients.

“I preach over and over again to prospective customers: Oats aren’t just for breakfast anymore,” said John Ochotnicky, owner of Oly’s Oats, an Elm Grove company that purchases its oats from Wisconsin, Minnesota and northern Iowa farms, a region he calls the “U.S. Oat Belt.”

Oly’s Oats mills its oats exclusively in Wisconsin at La Crosse Milling Co. in Cochrane, population 438. The milling company was started decades ago by the family of his wife, Kerri. Ochotnicky credits her for introducing him to the flavor of fresh oats.

“I knew I had come across a very special product that blew everything else away in terms of its taste. Oats also have some well-documented health benefits, such as cholesterol reduction,” he said. “To sell a product that tasted good and was good for you, seemed an unbeatable combination.”

Oly’s Oats are available at the Brookfield Farmers Market, the South Shore Farmers Market and the Milwaukee Winter Farmers Market. The 1 ½- pound packages of steel-cut oats cost $5. Same-size packages of rolled oats are $4.50, quick-cooking oats and oat bran are $4.00. Certified organic rolled oats are also available. All the oats meet kosher food standards, Ochotnicky explained.

Flavor over shelf life

One Wisconsin farm also discovered the locavore demand for farm-fresh oats a few years ago.

Snug Haven Farm in Belleville minimally processes their certified-organic oats, and they are attracting a steadfast following of both Midwestern chefs and home cooks.

“We stress flavor over shelf life,” said Bill Warner, who farms Snug Haven with his wife, Judy Hageman, and her daughter, Danielle Wood. Snug Haven is a family farm that has been in Judy’s family for more than 100 years. “We grow food to be eaten,” he added.

Warner explained that rolled oats are whole oat grains that have been cleaned, hulled and then typically steamed to prevent the oat’s oils from turning rancid. This steaming increases the oat’s shelf life in stores.

Snug Haven Farm, however, does things a little differently. They skip the steaming because they believe that their way produces a superior-tasting product. Then, the oats are immediately frozen to preserve freshness.

“We don’t cook the flavor out of it. You get the flavor,” Warner said.

Snug Haven sells its oats through a Community Supported Agriculture share or at the Dane County Farmers Market. A 1-pound bag of oats costs $3.75; the 4-pound bag is $14. Warner recommends freezing the oats once you get home.

Wisconsin tops

Last year, Wisconsin ranked first in the nation for oat production with a record-high 14 million bushels, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Wisconsin also ranks first for number of farms growing organic oats, with much of that becoming organic livestock grain, which has been in short supply.

A member of the grass family, oats have seen their ups and downs. Considered inedible for humans during the Roman Empire, oats were regarded as animal fodder. At times, oats were considered weeds in the European and Asian fields of barley and wheat.

Over time, oats became a food staple for Northern Europeans, especially in Great Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, Germany and Switzerland, as oats thrive in cooler climates.

Immigrants then introduced the grain to North America in the 1600s, according to the USDA.

Hearty oats became nourishment for soldiers during the two world wars, but then oat production waned somewhat as corn and soybeans became more profitable U.S. commodity crops.

Tastes great, more filling

You may remember the 1980s, when oats were hailed as a so-called “super food” and heavily pushed, especially by the processed-food industry. Americans went crazy for oats, chowing down on oat-filled baked goods, sugary granola bars and oat-bran muffins.

Turns out much of the health hype was warranted.

“Oats are highly nutritious and versatile. Three and one-half ounces of oats supply 12 grams of protein, healthy polyunsaturated fats with a small amount of vitamin E, an array of B vitamins and minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium,” according to dietitian Betty Holloway with Nutriphoria and ProHealth Care Weight Management Services in Sussex.

Then there’s the fiber factor.

Soluble fiber is a key nutritional component of oats; the same soluble fiber that turns it deliciously thick and creamy once cooked with liquid.

Oats are an excellent source, and the soluble fiber has a double benefit, Holloway said.

“First, oats act as smoothage rather than roughage by increasing gastrointestinal bulk and motility, preventing constipation,” she explained. “Second, the soluble fiber in oats acts as a net to remove cholesterol from the body.”

If you are pre-diabetic, diabetic or interested in controlling your weight, oats are ideal because they are absorbed slowly, she added.